JPN sending 1,000 non-combatant troops/targets

[Taro Toporific]

[cstaylor]

My wife was already giving me the "America dameda" speech after work today..

[AssKissinger]

My wife was already giving me the "America dameda" speech after work today..

Just tell her that if it wasn't for America , NK and China (and probably SK, too) would have their willies so far up Japan's caboose that this place would look like Bangladesh on a bad day.

[Caustic Saint]

My wife was already giving me the "America dameda" speech after work today..

Just tell her that if it wasn't for America , NK and China (and probably SK, too) would have their willies so far up Japan's caboose that this place would look like Bangladesh on a bad day.

Nah, SK would want nothing to do with an invasion of Japan. They know everything costs so much more there and would be afraid of the cost of an invasion. "We could never invade them. How would we be able to afford anything once we'd taken over?"

[Captain Japan]

My wife was already giving me the "America dameda" speech after work today..

This sort of stuff is so damn naive and hypocritcal. If Japan wanted to take an ethical stand it should have kicked the U.S. out a long time ago, revised its constitution (which it could), and spent the money necessary to put its own defense in place. You mean to tell me the luxuries afforded Japan today aren't the direct result of the U.S. military monster?

There was a quote by some government idiot (might have been Koizumi) the other day that said, and I'm paraphrasing, "we can ensure the troops will be relatively safe." What the hell sort of nonsense is that? So the U.S. has to babysit the Japanese military and simultaneously clean up Bush's mess? What a damn joke. Japan ought to just pull out the checkbook again and continue on exporting VCRs.

The "America dameda" speech really can only be uttered when you are willing to do something for yourself. And Japan is far, far from that. In some ways Ishihara isn't too nutty, but just some ways.

This is of course not to say that the U.S. in my mind should be anywhere near Iraq in the first place...

[cstaylor]

My answer wasn't nearly as elegant as the Captain's:
"Oh yeah! America Number 1! USA! USA!"

[Socratesabroad]

I don't want to argue the merits or demerits of Japan dispatching troops to Iraq, but I would say that I feel sorry for the actual SDF guys who have to go.

For those of us who have been in military service, we know how farked up things can get without clear chains of command. Add to that some pretty hairy rules of engagement and things look ripe for a clusterf@ck.

Don't get me wrong, I've worked/trained with the JGSDF and have respect for them as being relatively competent (well, OK, the Jpn Rangers are competent).

But I can just see some poor schmoe getting shot at as he cowers behind a water buffalo, trying to use his keitai to phone Koizumi so he can get Diet approval to defend himself...

[kamome]

Confirmed: Japan troops head to Iraq in February

Under the latest plan, about 135 troops would leave for Iraq on Feb. 21, after the first advance team of ground troops — about 28 people — has had about a month to prepare for their arrival in the southern city of Samawah, according to the Mainichi. About 550 others, who will make up the bulk of the deployment, are expected to be in Iraq by late March...

South Korea is also sending about 3000 troops. Socratesabroad may be right: clusterf@ck.

[Big Booger]

War send to our children never!!!!

[FeLingHi]

Targets, aint that the honest truth.

[Captain Japan]

[quote="cstaylor"]My answer wasn't nearly as elegant as the Captain's:
"Oh yeah! America Number 1! USA! USA!" ]

I think I just meant to say that the speech should be titled: Amerika to nihon dame da.